Hydroaero-machine.



W. S. BURGESS.

HYDROAERG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 2B. 1916.

2 SHEETSSHEET l.

'mmwtoz WHLIAMSTARLING Buraeess @btozwmg Patented Feb. 18, 1919.

W. S. BURGESS.

HYDROAERO MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28. ms.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WM 14 94a UNITED STATES PATENT o WILLIAM STARLING BURGESS, OFMARBLEHEAD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO CUBTISS AEROPLAN E AND MOTORCORPORATION, .A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

HYDROAERO-MACHINE;

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 18, ieia.

Application filed October 28, 1916. Serial No. 128,338.

To all whom it mm concern Be it known tiiat I, WILLIAM STARLING BURGESS,a citizen of the United States, residing at Marblehead, in the county ofEssex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Hydroaero-Machines, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to hydroaircraft and the objects and advantages ofthe invention will appear from the following description and drawings.The features of theinven- -tion and the combination of partsconstituting the invention will be hereinafter described andshown intheir preferred form and particularly pointed out in the claims.Seaplanes and hydroaeroplanes, as known in the art, are generally, ifnot always, characterized by the support of the body of the craft, atrest or in traveling upon the'surface of the water, by one or morepontoons. Unlike hydroaeroplanes flying boats depend for water support,not upon pontoons, but a boat-like body having the characteristics of ahydroplane. In hydroaeroplanes it is customary to locate the power plantinteriorly ofthe fuselage or nacelle and in flying boats exteriorly ofthe hull and preferably (although not infrequently it is located in thehull of the boat) intermediate the supporting or sustaining planes..These features of construction rimarily distinguish the two ty es ofmac ine.

caring in mind such distinguishing features, the resent invention may bedesignated a hybrid machine, that is, a machine havin thecharacteristics of both a hydroaerop ane and a flying boat. The nacelleor fuselage of the hydroaeroplane is eliminated and the pontoon (therebeing but one) retained. In this latter respect the machine is likenedto the hydroaeroplan'e, Forwardly of and upon the pontoon a decked cabinstructure is erected to inclose the landingor chassis struts, controlmechanism and flying crew, but not the power plant. In this re-' spectthe'machine is similar to the flying boat. p

In adn'achine thus characterized the resistant surfaces are appreciablyreduced; the

speed increased without a corresponding increase in propulsive force;the chassis struts .vinclosed and removed from View reduct on costminimized; and ingress an egress respectively to and from the cabinspace made possible without necessitating a climb elther up and into thefuselage or nacelle or into the cockpit of the hull.

In describing my invention in detail, reference will be had to theaccompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference designatelike or corresponding parts throughout the several views, of which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine;

Fig. 2 is a front end elevation, a portion of dthe-wing surfaces havingbeen removed, an

Fig. 3 is a top plan view.

In its preferred embodiment the machine may be generally described ascomprising swept back supporting surfaces 10 and 11 having a varyingangle of incidence throughout (of the Dunne. type), a main flotatlonbody or central pontoon 12, end or wing pontoons 13, and a housing orfalse decking 1i constructed to inclose and remove from view the pontoonmounting.

Interwing stabilizin planes 15, Vertical,

trailing, wing-tip rud ers 16 and ailerons 17 additionally characterizethe machine. Directional control isv obtained through manipulation ofthe rudder 16 and elevational control through manipulation of theailerons 17. The wing formation insures inherent stability.

From the extreme forward end the bot tom of the central pontoon 12 isextended on a gradual curve rearwardly and downward-1y as indicated at18 and thence rearwardly more horizontally as indicated at 19 for abruptrearward termination at a planing step 20 formed in the pontoon bottomat a point in the vicinity of a transverse line projected verticallthrough the center of gravity designated G. From the step rearwardly thepontoon bottom extends slightly upwardly or at a salient angle to theforward hydroplaning bottom 1819..

Chassis struts 21, inclined forwardly, interconnect the lower supportingsurface 11 and the pontoon 12. The usual fuselage or nacelle,characteristic of hydroaeroplanes, is eliminated and the decked cabinstructure 14: provided instead. This cabin structure 14-. is erectedforwardl of and upon the pontoon 12 to inclose t e chassis struts 21,the control mechanism (not shown) and the aviator or flying crew. To cutdown the head resistance the false decking is given astreamline form.

lfpon reference to Fig. 1 it will be noted that the false decking llextends rearwardly beneath the lower supporting plane 11 to a point inthe transverse vertical plane of the planing step 20, and that amplecabin space is thus provided for occupancy by the flying crew. If usedas a pleasure craft (and the machine is primarily designed with this inview) sleeping quarters and other accommodations may be providedinteriorly of tho decked cabin structure or housing 14.

Inwardly converging standards 22 are erected upon the pontoon 12immediatel aft of the cabin structure 1% for the support of the powerunit- '23 without the cabin and in a horizontal plane intermediate thesupporting planes l0 and 11. It is intended to locate the center ofthrustin the approximate horizontal plane of the center of resistance bythe arrangement just disclosed.

The wing pontoons 1?; constitute with the main or central pontoon 12 asubstantially triangular support for the machine while hydroplaning.Both of these pontoons are constructed to provide a hydroplaning bottom2% which at its forward end extends upwardly and forwardly fortermination forwardly beyond the forward end of the pontoon itself.liangers :25 cross wired as at, 26 support the end pontoons as desired.

It will be noted upon reference to Fig. 1, assuming that the machine isat rest upon the surface of the water. that the line of thrust is soinclined with respect to the horizontal that a tendency is created torise, in hvdroplaning. by the forward end. The dearta behaviorinnnediately preceding aerial flight is in this way quickcned. Tie wires2T. symmetrically arranged at opposite sides of the longitudinal axis ofthe machine, brace the opposed wings constituting the lower supportingplane and take up drift strains incident to flight. Preferably thesewires interconnta-t the respective wings and the central pontoon. thewires in one instance. engaging at one end the forward wing spar (notshown) of each wing at the foot of one of the wing posts 28 whichinterconnect the wings and the pontoon 12 at the foot of one of theforward diagonal chassis struts 21, and in the other instance, the rearwing spar of each wing at the foot of one of said posts and the pontoonat the foot of the mentioned chassis struts 21. Continuing wires orcables :29 tie the respective wings aft and at the foot of the.standards 22.

The machine, as intimated. being particularly adaptable as a sportsmansor pleasure craft, provision should be made for ingress and egressrespectively to and from the cabin without necessitating a climbing upand into the fuselage or nacelle or into the cockpit of the hull asheretofore. This unnecessary and objectionable feature is avoided by theformation of a door (not shown) at the aft end of the decking ll.

'hile in the foregoing there has been illustrated in the drawings anddescribed in the specification such combination and arrangement ofelements as constitute the preferred construction or embodiment of thisinvention, it is nevertheless desired to emphasize the fact thatinterpretation of the invention should only be conclusive when made inthe light of the subjoincd claims.

\Vhat is claimed is:

1. In an aircraft, a main flotation body, supporting surfaces, strutsdirectly interconnecting said surfaces and said body, and a decked cabinstructure built up around the struts to collectively inclose them. theheight of the cabin structure being equal to the gap between the bodyand the lower supporting surface.

2. In an aircraft. a main flotation body, supporting surfaces, and adecked cabin structure erected upon said body for occupancy by theflying crew, the height of the cabin structure being equal to the gapbetween the body and the lower supporting surface.

3. in an aircraft. a main flotation body, supporting surfaces. straightsubstantially vertically extending struts interconnecting said surfacesand said body, and a decked cabin structure erected upon said body toinclose said struts.

i. In an aircraft, a pontoon, supporting surfacesstruts interconnectingsaid pontoon and said surfaces. and a decked cabin structure. erectedforwardly of and upon said pontoon to inclose said struts and affordcabin space for occupancy 'by the flying crew. that portion of thepontoon deck extended to the rear end of the decked cabin structureconstituting a platform for use by the crew in entering and leaving thecabin space.

5. In an aircraft, a main flotation body, supporting surfaces extendedintcrmediately across the body in a transverse horizontal planevertically removed from it, strut-s directly interconnecting said bodyand said surfaces, a propelling power plant, and supports for thepropelling power plant erected upon said body aft of saidsurface-support ing struts.

G. In an aircraft. a main flotation body, supporting surfaces extendedintermcdiately across the body in a transverse horizontal planevertically removed from it, struts directly interconnecting said bodyand said surfaces. a power plantsupport erected on said body aft of saidsurfaco-supporting struts, and a propelling power plant mounted on saidsupport nearer the rear end than the forward end of said body.

7. In an aircraft, a main flotation body, superposed supporting surfacesextended intermediately across said body in a transverse horizontalplane vertically above it, a propelling power plant disposed in ahorizontal plane intermediate the horizontal planes of said supportingsurfaces and without said body, and supports for the propelling powerplant erected on said body nearer its rear end than its forward end.

8. In an aircraft, a ontoon, swept-back supporting surfaces, a powerplant support erected upon the pontoon nearer its rear end than itsforward end, a propelling power plant mounted on said support within theangle formed by the swept back supporting surfaces, struts erected uponthe pontoon forwardly of the power plant support for mounting thesupporting surfaces and a decked cabin structure inclosing the lastmentioned struts.

9. In an aircraft, supporting surfaces, a pontoon, strutsinterconnecting said surfaces and said pontoon, a decked cabin structureerected forwardly of and upon said pontoon to inclose said struts andafford cabin space for occupancy by the flying crew, a power plantsupport erected upon said pontoon aft of said struts, and a propellingpower plant mounted on said support for disposition entirely withoutsaid decked cabin structure.

10. In an aircraft, a pontoon, a wing structure extending intermediatelyacross the pontoon in a horizontal plane vertically above it, chassisstruts erected on the pontoon to support the wing structure, and adecked cabin structure inclosing the chassis struts, the deck of thepontoon affording a floor for the cabin.

11. In an aircraft, a pontoon, a supporting surface, struts directlyinterconnectin the supporting surface and the pontoon and a decked cabinstructure erected upon the pontoon to collectively inclose the struts,the cabin floor and cabin roof being formed by the deck of the pontoonand the supporting surface respectively. I

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

WILLIAM ST ARLING BURGESS.

\Vi'tnesses L. J. DARMODY, CATHERINE L. FLANAGAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

